PLOS mental health.: review time and acceptance speed

ISSN 2837-8156 · Public Library of Science · Psychology

Half of the articles PLOS mental health. accepted in 2024 were accepted within 143 days of submission (n = 116); the middle half took 106–175 days.

Submission → acceptance (2024)
143 days median
middle half 106–175 · n = 116
Acceptance → online
44 days median
middle half 33–60 · n = 116
Open access · fees
Open access (DOAJ) · $2,596

Accepted articles only · dates deposited by the publisher in PubMed · data as of Sep 15, 2026

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How long does PLOS mental health. take to accept a paper?

Days from submission to acceptance, by year of acceptance
YearArticles (n)25th pctMedian75th pct90th pctAccepted <14 daysHave a revised date
20241161061431750.0%0%

Distribution in 2024

0–29 days: 0% (0 articles)030–59 days: 2% (2 articles)3060–89 days: 14% (16 articles)6090–119 days: 16% (18 articles)90120–149 days: 22% (26 articles)120150–179 days: 22% (26 articles)150180–209 days: 10% (12 articles)180210–239 days: 8% (9 articles)210240–269 days: 4% (5 articles)240270–299 days: 1% (1 articles)270300–329 days: 1% (1 articles)300330–359 days: 0% (0 articles)330360+ days: 0% (0 articles)360+days from submission to acceptance (30-day bins)
Show as a table
DaysArticlesShare
0–2900.0%
30–5921.7%
60–891613.8%
90–1191815.5%
120–1492622.4%
150–1792622.4%
180–2091210.3%
210–23997.8%
240–26954.3%
270–29910.9%
300–32910.9%
330–35900.0%
360+00.0%

From acceptance to online publication

After acceptance, half of the 2024 articles appeared online within 44 days (middle half 33–60 days, n = 116).

From submission to online publication, the median was 188 days (middle half 161–226 days, n = 116).

Read these numbers carefully

  • These times describe articles the journal accepted. Rejected manuscripts never appear in public data, so they cannot tell you how long a rejection takes.
  • Dates are the ones the publisher deposited with PubMed. Some publishers record the date a revised manuscript arrived as the submission date, which makes review look faster.
  • Invited articles and special issues can move faster than regular submissions.

Open access status and publishing fees

Open access (listed in DOAJ). Listed APC: $2,596 (DOAJ).

Institutions reported paying a median of about $2,496 per article (2023–2025, 5 reported payments in OpenAPC; converted from euros at yearly ECB average rates).

Many journals waive or reduce fees for authors from eligible countries or institutions with publishing agreements — check with the journal and your library.

Integrity and indexing signals

Facts from public records, shown without judgement. See the methodology for why each can be worth a closer look.

Listed in DOAJYes (DOAJ record)
Articles indexed for MEDLINE in 2024None found (the journal may be in PubMed through PubMed Central instead)
Retractions0 retracted articles among 140 added to PubMed in 2021–2025, per the Retraction Watch Database.
Accepted within 14 days of submission0.0% of 2024 articles
Publication volume119 articles added to PubMed in 2024.

Topics and scope

Psychology journalsClinical Psychology journals

Similar journals — faster or cheaper, side by side

Journals publishing on the most similar topics (OpenAlex), ordered by similarity. Only 2024 figures are compared with the 2024 median of PLOS mental health., 143 days.

Paid APC medianDOAJMEDLINE
Cambridge Prisms Global Mental Health156 (2024, n = 134)$4,010YesNo
Discover Mental Health158 (2024, n = 64)$1,790YesNo
Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology211 (2024, n = 183)≈$4,390NoYes
Community Mental Health Journal156 (2024, n = 184)≈$4,390NoYes
Archives of Psychiatric Nursing259 (2024, n = 146)≈$3,600NoYes
South African Journal of Psychiatry126 (2024, n = 68)≈$850YesNo
The Lancet Psychiatry55 (2024, n = 106)≈$7,280NoYes
Asian Journal of Psychiatry96 (2024, n = 206)≈$3,820NoYes
BMJ Mental Health92 (2024, n = 83)≈$4,827$4,546 (11 payments)YesYes

Frequently asked questions

How long does PLOS mental health. take to accept a paper?

Half of the articles PLOS mental health. accepted in 2024 were accepted within 143 days of submission (n = 116); the middle half took 106–175 days. Based on dates in PubMed for accepted articles only.

How long after acceptance are PLOS mental health. articles published online?

Half of the articles accepted in 2024 appeared online within 44 days of acceptance (n = 116).

Does PLOS mental health. charge an article processing charge (APC)?

Listed APC: $2,596 (DOAJ).

Sources and method

Journal identity: ISSN-L 2837-8156; NLM ID 9918844789006676; OpenAlex record. Speed figures use 116 articles accepted in 2024 with valid dates; excluded records for that year: none.

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Data sources. Submission, acceptance and publication dates: Courtesy of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (PubMed, entries through Sep 15, 2026). NLM does not endorse Journal Clock, and these figures may not reflect the most current PubMed data. Journal fees and open-access listing: DOAJ (CC0, retrieved Sep 16, 2026). Fees paid by institutions: OpenAPC (Open Database License, retrieved Sep 16, 2026). Retractions: Retraction Watch Database via Crossref (retrieved Sep 16, 2026). Journal identifiers and topics: OpenAlex (CC0). Currency conversion: ECB reference rates (Sep 15, 2026). How these numbers are calculated · For organisations.